Midlothian City Council reviews planning, housing ordinances

Thursday

Midlothian City Council members discussed the need to review planning standards within the city during their Tuesday evening meeting

Planning Director Trenton Robertson discussed disparities in the current planning ordinance and the need for the council to vote in an upcoming council meeting on the item.

Some of the inconsistencies throughout the ordinance included requirements when it came to multi-family homes.

He suggested the council create standards across the board that builders and developments must adhere to. For instance, he noted the city could require garage parking for residents, increased landscaping and the amount of amenities offered.

“We are growing fast,” Robertson said.

Council member Jimmie McClure said she loves the idea.

Robertson said he will come back on March 12 for the council to vote on the ordinance. No action was taken at this time.

The council also heard presentations regarding the city’s financial audit and the city’s racial profiling and juvenile curfew report. Neither items required action.

The audit was presented and no issues were found based on a report by Patillo, Brown, & Hill, LLP.

Midlothian Police Chief Carl Smith was also on hand to discuss the racial profiling report conducted by an outside third party and noted there were no instances of racial profiling found in Midlothian.

Within the past year, the department made contact with about 10,000 vehicles and issued approximately 3,500 citations. With those 10,000 stops, there were no numbers or instances that threw up a red flag of racial profiling, Smith said.

To help monitor the officer’s work, the department randomly reviews 10 police videos a month to see any anomalies in work.

The report will be uploaded to the department’s website for public viewing.

Smith said when it comes to juvenile curfew regulations, which requires minors to be home by midnight, officers don’t use it often. In the past year, it was used a handful of times, half of which contact with the minor’s vehicle was because of a traffic violation.

He said the council should review the ordinance in the coming year to assess if it should be kept.

No action was taken in regards to Smith’s report.

The next city council meeting is at 6 p.m. March 12 in the Council Chambers at City Hall, located at 104 West Avenue E.

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